Fishing Republic Q&A - About me

How long have you been fishing?

Well, I have been fishing on and off since I was a kid in the late 90s, but it wasn’t until two years ago I found myself fishing a lot more. I decided to give up a few other hobbies and put fishing first. I have started dabbling in the carp scene a lot more over the past few years. I’ve been fishing local waters and trying out all the new tackle and bait, some of which I had never seen before and is different from what I had been used to as a kid.

What got you into fishing?

I was introduced to it by my dad like most people and mainly fished the canals and rivers using the basic supermarket baits, such as corn and luncheon meat. We sometimes had a tub of maggots and on the tackle side of things; it was just a simple match rod trotting a float or ledgering. I also tried match fishing as a kid and turned up with a rod and reel while the rest of the anglers had poles. I managed to come 2nd in my second match on the canal and decided to end my match fishing days there before I got too good. Over the years I have watched hundreds of hours of videos such as Mark Pitcher’s ‘The Challenge’series and some of Matt Hayes’ old videos from 2012. This got me all fired up and wanting to take fishing further and try to target some bigger fish than what I used to fish for.

What’s your most memorable fishing trip?

I recently wrote about this in my own blog and it was a session I did with my dad several months ago, the day after storm Doris hit the UK. It was a 24-hour stint on a water I last fished when I was around 10 years old or so, and that trip ended sooner than it began after my dad slipped into the lake.

The conditions were terrible with the Doris winds still lingering, and some may say we were stupid rather than brave. We had a lot of carp throughout the night and, although there were no chunks on the bank, a lot of the fish were caught on my own homemade boilies which I was very pleased about. For anyone who hasn’t caught on their own bait, try it! the feeling is nearly the same as when a fish lands in the net and you know that your bait works. It’s the small things like this that can make a session memorable, especially when you can say you survived Doris! It was a session to write about for sure. If anyone wants to read the full blog on this session, follow this link.

What’s your best catch?

I’ve had a few good catches, one being a 17lb 5oz common a few weeks ago from Brockamin Fishery in Worcestershire. This catch is now my new PB and although it may seem small to some people, I fish mainly local small waters so this is a big fish for these venues. This was caught on a homemade peanut butter boilie topped with a 10mm pink pop-up. After the success on my memorable session, I kept the homemade baits going. I managed to hook this one under an overhanging tree on a far margin. I walked around the lake and dropped some crushed boilies and 8mm halibut pellets and within about 20 minutes I had a take. Brockamin carp fight hard and the 8lbers feel bigger than they are. This one took a good 15 minutes to get in and did its best to snag me up in the margins! I was buzzing after catching seven carp and four bream in total over 24 hours.

Do more people need to start fishing? And why?

100% yes! Fishing is relaxing and rewarding. The high you get is legal and addictive and it keeps you coming back for more. There’s nothing better than going fishing to get away from the stress and worries of everyday life, even if it’s just for a few hours. Just take a rod, net and some bait and pop down to the canal. The feeling of being there and catching fish, no matter the size, is just so satisfying and makes you feel good and wanting more! It’s also another way of getting your kids off the Xbox and sat on a seat box in the fresh air. Teaching someone about fishing is great bonding time. Planning your fishing sessions is a bit like playing chess deciding what your next move will be. It gets you thinking which can only be a good thing as you’re learning all the time.

What is one piece of advice you would give to a new angler?

If you’re a new angler who has no experience or knowledge I would suggest not making things overly complicated. There is so much tackle and bait out there it can be overwhelming. I would highly recommend starting off at a basic level like we all did when we first started and that’s float fishing or a basic cage feeder. It’s about getting used to the rod setup and the basics of fishing like plumbing the depth, etc. You just want to be catching fish at this stage no matter what size. Over time you will naturally start picking tips up. YouTube can be your best friend at this point, as it’s where I learnt a lot about fishing, other than the old-fashioned ways shown by my dad and grandad. Don’t forget some things just can’t be taught over a video and you need to be out fishing. Some techniques will just come naturally, such as feeling for silt and weed. For now, just get on the bank with minimal kit and get catching! Let the rest come in due course, but most of all – just have fun!

What does fishing mean to you?

Fishing is my way of relaxing and enjoying my time on the bank by myself or with friends. You can really think better being next to the water. Fishing is also like a strategy game and I have always liked those types of games as a kid and now. I like to plan and put it in action and when it goes to plan I get this big uplift and excitement and a feeling of success. It’s about being the hunter and trying to outwit the fish. I just like tactical and strategic hobbies and fishing gives me that feeling which I really enjoy and get a buzz from.

What are your top three tips for your favourite type of fishing?

As I am carp fishing mostly, I would say my main tip is finding a swim with features if you can. I tend to not go for swims with just open water. If you have a choice, choose somewhere with an overhanging tree, pads, or an island. These are areas fish like to patrol and hold up to hide, but also don’t forget the margins – you never know what could be swimming under your feet.

Another tip is to lead around a bit and find a nice spot to fish on. There’s nothing worse than just casting out and leaving a rig to then reel in an hour later knowing you’ve probably been snagged since that rig hit the bottom. So, find a clear before anything else and get to know what’s beneath. You could even use a note pad and note down any of your findings. From there, pick the right rig, which is suitable to for the bottom you are fishing on.

My final tip would be never to put too much bait all in at once. This may not be the case on big venues where you can get away with it but if you’re not sure on a venue, go in with a single hook bait first just to see what going on and if you can get a bite that way. You can always start trickling in baits throughout the day to get them feeding. Once the bait is in you’re not getting it out so don’t overdo it, especially in the winter months.

Tight lines

Ricky Davies